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Sexual assault victim in Poinciana said attacker apologized before fleeing

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. - Osceola County sheriff's detectives are asking for the public's help in identifying a man wanted on armed burglary and sexual battery charges.

A Poinciana woman said a man came to her door at 7 a.m. Monday and began ringing the doorbell repeatedly.

"She looked out the window and she recognized the person as someone who had been to her door before, who had asked to use the telephone, but she had never let him inside," said Twis Lizasuain, of the Osceola County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators said the woman told them she became frightened when she saw the man return, so she hid.

The woman said the man, who was armed with a knife, entered her house through an unlocked back door, found her and forced her to perform a sex act.

"He put the hand around my neck. He tried to choke me," the victim told WFTV. "He said, 'Shut your mouth. If you do not shut your mouth, I'm going to kill you.'"

The victim said she thought the man was going to kill her, but he instead ransacked the home searching for money and then apologized before he left.

"He came back in the closet and said, 'I'm so sorry,'" the victim said.

Investigators released a composite sketch of the man, who the victim described as a black man, approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall and 23 to 25 years of age.

Authorities said the man had a stocky build, short hair and a short beard.

Deputies said they aren't taking any chances, and they handed out fliers with a composite sketch and description.

"We have extra patrols and we've got deputies out talking to neighbors to see if they might know this individual," said Lizasuain. "We have had neighbors report they've seen somebody in this neighborhood matching this description before."

Investigators ask anyone who has information about the attack or has had contact with anyone in the Poinciana area fitting the man's description to call the Osceola County Sheriff's Office at 407-348-2222 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS (8477).